


Light in the Dark

by foxjar



Category: Original Work
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Domestic, Drama, M/M, Mild Sexual Content, Pregnancy, Romance, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-22
Updated: 2019-04-22
Packaged: 2020-01-04 14:08:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18345245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foxjar/pseuds/foxjar
Summary: When Lucian ends up pregnant after a one night stand with his childhood crush, he decides to raise the baby on his own.





	Light in the Dark

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Artemis1000](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Artemis1000/gifts).



The early morning light streams through the window of Lucian's hospital room. It's warm where it touches his skin, easing some of his worry as he sips at his cup of water.

There’s a soft knock at the door before long, and a nurse enters the room, holding a clipboard. Her dark hair is pulled back into a bun, and Lucian almost envies her tidy appearance. He can’t remember the last time he brushed his hair or threw his clothes in the washer — not for weeks now.

A bright night sky is printed on her scrubs: black with purple swirls, and seemingly endless stars. He stares at the stars as she thumbs through the papers on her clipboard, looking for some slice of information to bestow upon her patient.

“Looks to be about five weeks along,” she says, smiling as she looks up at him. “Congratulations.”

It should be happy news, Lucian thinks, but it’s the farthest thing from it for him. Growing up, he always saw omegas smiling when they found out they were pregnant — on television, and in movies. It’s something society thrusts upon them, he eventually realized. He just never thought he’d feel this alone if he ever became pregnant.

His hands, once resting on his stomach, drift down to the hospital bed. While he had taken multiple pregnancy tests at home, he wanted to be sure. He had to be.

”Does everything...look alright?” Lucian doesn’t know what to ask, as he never thought he’d be experiencing this without planning a family in advance. He never thought he’d be doing it alone, either. The nurse nods, though, and it eases his worries somewhat when she tells him more about the progress of his pregnancy.

He always wanted to be in a relationship before he had kids — maybe with a house and stable income. He hasn’t even graduated college yet, and suddenly all his hopes and dreams feel like they’re slipping from his fingers. It had all seemed like such an attainable goal before now.

His mother will be delighted at the news, at least, since she’s always wanted grandchildren. With Lucian’s twin brother never showing an interest in starting a family, she poured all of her expectations onto Lucian. He never minded the thought of giving her a grandchild — just not now; not at the age of twenty-three.

Lucian’s been having nightmares, too: of being alone when he gives birth, with no one to help him as the darkness swallows him whole. Sometimes, he can hear someone weeping in his dreams, but he’s never quite sure who. Whenever he wakes up after such a dream, his eyes are always wet with unshed tears.

He doesn’t tell the nurse about his dreams. Since they only started around the time he conceived, he’s sure that she would presume it to be some sort of related anxiety.

“All settled, then?” The nurse offers Lucian her hand, and he squeezes it as he hops off of the bed. He smiles at her, as brightly as he can manage, before leaving the hospital.

On the way home, he thinks of the star-filled sky on the nurses uniform; that faraway, untouchable sky.

 

* * *

 

Lucian's brother stops by his apartment to lecture him about how he needs to stop moping, and to call their mother, who's been worried sick. He's not listening — not really — but at least his brother throws some of his clothes in the washer while he’s here, pitying his twin. This is enough to break Lucian out of his daze for now, but an hour or so is all he needs.

He’s ten weeks into his pregnancy. There’s still the morning sickness, and the never-ending fatigue, but he’s not showing very much yet. When he looks at himself in the mirror, he can see it — that slight bump of life growing inside him — but it’s easy to hide beneath his clothes for now.

Lucian decides to visit the father, while he still has the ability to choose when and where. The longer he waits, the larger his belly grows, and if someone saw him in public and ratted him out — or if the father saw himself — Lucian isn’t sure what he’d do. The idea scares him — of having his ability to choose taken away from him yet again.

When he knocks on the door, he can hear loud music coming from inside. He’s about to start kicking when the door finally opens.

There in the doorway stands Chase, leaning back on the door frame as he attempts to look anywhere but into Lucian’s eyes. It’s been months since he last saw him — since their heat-driven escapade — and he can feel some of his anger seep out at the mere sight of him. Chase is at least half a foot taller than him, and although he had intended to come over and cause as big of a ruckus as he could manage, he almost smiles at the thought. He can see the headline now: “Pregnant Omega Attacks Alpha Father.”

 _The alpha father who happens to be a total asshole,_ Lucian thinks, and he’s still smirking when he realizes Chase is talking.

“It was just sex,” Chase is saying, brushing back his hair as he stares just off to the side of Lucian’s head.

He’s always loved Chase’s hair. When they were younger, it was much lighter — like dried husks of corn — than the dirty blond it is now. Chase always let him brush his hair, too; pinning it back with all sorts of colorful clips. He’s not sure if the clips he’s wearing now are ones he gave him, but he thinks it’d be ironic if they were.

“I know that,” he bites back, and although some of his frustration has dissipated, he’s still upset. Maybe he should have called him, or texted him — so he wouldn’t have to see those green eyes, or the way he scowls at him.

“Then why are you here?”

Chase’s words sting — maybe more than they should — and Lucian clenches his fists. He always tries to refrain from saying anything purposefully hurtful to anyone, but sometimes, his mouth just opens and he can’t stop himself.

“You know, I’ve known you since we were seven, but you’ve never been a bigger asshole than you are now.”

“Jeeze, Lucian. I know you’re mad about what happened, but is this really —”

“I’m pregnant.”

Chase steps away from the door frame, his jaw slack as he searches for words. Lucian regrets letting his mouth run like that, and while he could say Chase brings out the worst in him, it isn’t that simple.

“Of course you are,” Chase finally says, nodding. “So, what now?”

Lucian had wanted to kiss his childhood friend for years before it eventually happened. Dating him was something he dreamt of, but he hadn’t entertained the thought of that ever happening. Chase has never had a serious relationship for as long as Lucian has known him, and he never felt like it was his place to try and change that.

He just liked him; adored the way he smiled at Lucian, and made him feel like he mattered. Until he’d started having problems with his hormones a few months ago, and his heat came upon him unexpectedly. Chase made him feel loved then — beautiful and desirable — but in the end, he was right. It was just sex; just an alpha and an omega at the wrong place at the wrong time.

“Why are you asking me like I should know what to do?” Lucian can see why Chase hadn’t wanted to look at him before. It makes everything so much easier when he can pretend none of this is happening. “This is all your fault. Everything.”

When Chases reaches out to pat his head, Lucian doesn’t recoil the way he thought he would. His hand is warm and oddly comforting, despite everything.

“I know,” Chase says, his voice sad.

 

* * *

 

Ever since Lucian told Chase about his pregnancy, he’s been coming over every week. So when there’s a knock at the door, waking him up from his nap, he assumes it’s him. He almost doesn’t leave the nest he’s made in the closet — bundled up with the softest shirts and blankets he could find — but the last time he tried to ignore Chase, he banged on the door for half an hour.

At least he hasn’t brought flowers again, like he had the past dozen or so weeks. Instead, Chase offers him a plastic bag of takeout food, and another with laundry detergent. Lucian isn’t as nauseous as he was during his first trimester, and he wolfs down the food, all while Chase watches. He’s smirking — that same smile Lucian has always loved — and it doesn’t irritate him quite as much as it used to.

“So why are you here?” Lucian asks. He thinks back on when Chase had asked him the same question all those weeks ago. There isn’t even any arrogance in his voice; he imagined it’d feel good to say, but the thought of stooping to Chase’s pettiness back then just makes him feel hollow, like he’d be slipping further and further away from himself.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Chase eyes the empty food boxes before looking at Lucian. “I’m taking care of you.”

He’d be lying if he said Chase hasn’t been helpful these past few weeks, but he’s probably just doing it because he’s an alpha. It’s somewhat imposing, the way he insists on being a part of Lucian and the baby’s lives, as if he’s owed it.

Chase continues, how voice low now as he leans closer: “An omega raising a kid by himself is going to look a little strange, don’t you think?”

“I don’t care. I don’t need you.”

 _But I want you,_ Lucian thinks, as semi-buried feelings rise in his throat. But he could never say that aloud — how, despite everything, starting a family with his long-time crush still sounds like a pleasant dream.

“I brought something else, too,” Chase says, reaching into his pants pocket for a small bundle, wrapped in tissue paper.

They’re tiny baby mittens, yellow with chick faces printed on them. They fit in the palm of Lucian’s hand — small and soft. The more he prepares for the baby, the more real everything seems.

“So she doesn’t scratch herself,” Chase explains.

“How did you know the baby’s a girl?”

Having his theory confirmed seems to delight Chase enough that he isn’t bothered at not having been at the hospital for the reveal. Lucian tells himself that it doesn’t mean anything — he couldn’t really know they’re having a girl beforehand — but then again, maybe it’s an alpha thing.

“I’m really proud of you,” Chase says, reaching out to touch his arm. “For making it to all your appointments and everything.”

He doesn’t mention his frustration at Lucian not letting him attend his doctor visits with him. Before, he had seemed so entitled to every little thing revolving their baby — the name, appointments, everything. In another life, Lucian would have wanted Chase with him at every step of the way, but he likes the way people are finally starting to believe in him.

It’s taken five months, but he’s finally proving — to his family, his alpha, and himself — that he can do this. Even if he does sometimes forget to pick up laundry detergent at the store, he’s at least doing his own laundry again.

“Can I...feel?”

It’s the first time Chase has asked to touch his stomach, and Lucian’s never offered before. His hands are warm on his belly, and he tries not to dwell on how happy Chase looks — that quirky smile, and the way his eyes light up.

But he does. He thinks about it a lot.

 

* * *

 

When Lucian gives birth to their daughter, Chase weeps tears of joy. He’s not thinking about much other than the pain, and making sure she’s okay — he must ask a hundred times before he’s content with the doctor’s answer.

Chase is crying later, too, when Lucian wakes up and sees him holding their baby. He’s cradling her in his arms, all swaddled up in a cloth printed with stars. Lucian never imagined he’d see Chase being so delicate with anyone, and it makes him feel safe — not only for himself, but all of them; their family.

 

* * *

 

When their daughter is three months old, Lucian starts having heats again. The onset feels almost slower this time, as he feels his body want things: to be held, to be full, to be pregnant again. It’s manageable at first, so he buys a box of condoms.

He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t ready for this.

It’s a show of trust when he offers Chase his neck. He tries not to smile when Chase acts surprised, and when they’re lying in bed, wrapped up in one another, it isn’t too difficult.

“Are you sure?” he asks. “I know I’ve apologized, and everything, but that doesn’t make up for —”

 _No,_ Lucian thinks. _It doesn’t._

He kisses him, anyways.


End file.
